Tesco to spend £1m on DNA testing to stop rogue meat - and publish results on its website

Tesco is to spend £1 million so it can ensure complete DNA testing on every product that contains processed or minced beef or chicken – with the results on the supermarket giant’s website.

Chief executive Philip Clarke told The Mail on Sunday: ‘There is no hiding by us. We want a policy of complete transparency.

‘It is our brand on the labels and the responsibility lies with us. That is what we have to take it so seriously. We have a trust with our customers which we cannot allow to be broken. What has happened is sloppiness at best and criminality at worst.

‘We have found that in the areas where
it was contaminated with products which shouldn’t have been there it
was deliberate. That is unacceptable.’

‘Retailers
need to know who they are buying from. The only way to do that is if
you are in their business and you trust what you are getting from them.
But, yes, there is clearly a need for more regulation. We would
encourage it,’ said Philips.

He
was ‘not complacent’ but was assured that the majority of meat the
retailer sells was protected by the supermarket’s own controls. Food
affordability is the number one issue for consumers in the UK. People
are seeking out the best value. I can see why that unscrupulous
behaviour could occur to bring horsemeat into a product.

I can see that potential existing,’ he said.

Philips
said rogue traders were cashing in on the demand by passing off
horsemeat as beef, which costs twice as much on the European food
market.

‘In the old days
the supply chain consists of the farmer, the abattoir, the processor
and the retailer. But in some cases that can stretch to ten or more,’ he
said. That meant it was too complicated to monitor effectively. Fifty
per cent of the food in our stores we make and manufacture ourselves and
that is growing every year. That makes us unusual.

‘We
are the biggest food manufacture in the UK and we own our own abattoirs
and processing plants. We are not complacent about what’s going on out
there, but we have a very high level of confidence.’

‘But
that also means 50 per cent we don’t manufacture ourselves. We would
suggest retailers go back to keeping the supply chain simple, knowing
our suppliers and trusting what they do,’ he said.

Philips
defended a recent decision by Morrisons to launch budget brand
Hemsleys, saying it was possible ‘to bring value to stores without
compromising your values’. The National Farmers’ Union said it was
disappointed after Morrisons launched the brand in November, warning its
members that the supermarket would use non-British meat in the range.